Coin Photography Question

The insurance cos. want to know how much business you do ($1M a year or whatever) and how many assets the business has (equipment, property, etc.). They charge you a premium for a certain amount of coverage. A very simple concept.

 

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This made me LOL. thanks

 

Thank you all so much. I don't really intend for this to supply my income to live off of because I do not need a sustainable source of incole to live off of yet. I just wanted to start this to be able to photograph different coins without buying them and also to expand my photography skills without buying and selling more and more coins. I will go on my website now and put in a coin value limit at $1,000. Is that too risky to do without insurance?

 

There's a concept called "being self insured", commonly used in business and personal life. It basically means "can you afford to pay the value of the loss, and does it make more financial sense to pay it yourself than insure against it (i.e. cost of insurance overwhelms the likelihood of the loss)". Making a decision to self-insure should not be done casually, but if the equation makes sense, then do it. Of course step 1 is having the $1000 set aside, just in case.

 

I’m sorry, but were you not recently asking very basic beginner photography questions on this board, yet now you’re all ready to claim pro status?

Business sounds fun, especially when connected to something we enjoy, but as with your other ventures you’d be wise to slow it down, way down. You’re familiar with the old saying about Rome not being built in a day, right? Just as developing the skill and acquiring the knowledge necessary to give yourself the greatest chance of success in coins takes time, photography is absolutely no different, even with something sterile and repeatable as basic (BASIC) coin photography. Being capable of producing average to average-good coin photos probably isn’t enough to convince folks to shoulder the hassle, risk, and expense sending one’s preciouses to someone new much less pay for their services.

Aside from everything else, there’s something infinitely cheesy and cringe-worthy about folks who buy a “big camera” (or “high quality camera”) and automatically deem themselves “professional photographers”. It’s far too common today in the general sense and has been seriously damaging to the business as a whole. If this is something you really want to do and you’re sure your interests will not fly off in another direction next month, perhaps reconsider your approach here. Try to first hone your craft and show others what you’re capable of. Be accepting of constructive criticism instead of claiming victim status and later complaining about those trying to help you. You’re young and will make plenty of mistakes, and while it’s much easier to overlook them from someone your age, this doesn’t mean you should press your luck. If genuinely hungry and willing to do whatever possible to improve or reach your goal, people will see and respect you for it.

Also, a quick look at your website shows you’re not (yet) producing professional quality work. I’m certainly not saying the provided examples are poor, especially compared to what we regularly see on this forum, but just that they’re not to the level you should be if advertising yourself as a pro. Look at jtlee’s work not only as a close to home example of what to strive for, but also of a wise path to take if something you truly want to do.

 

Please don't take this the wrong way. (I know, I know, nothing good ever comes of a conversation that opens with that.) But...

Ah, never mind, while I was trying to compose my thoughts @BooksB4Coins stepped in and said what I was trying to say.

You may well have a great eye and a gift for photography; you may well be able to do a better job of it than the folks here who do it professionally.

But not just yet. You've been doing this for days, not years. After this short time, you can't even know enough to know whether you're doing a professional job.

We try to be supportive of newcomers and YNs here, and we praise efforts that are praiseworthy. But please don't confuse "you're off to a great start" with "you're clearly a professional".

Practice, practice, practice. Shoot thousands of coins, not tens. Volunteer to shoot coins for your friends, or people in a local club. Look closely and critically at your photos, not to see how good they are, but to see what you can improve. Ask others for criticism, not support, and listen to what they say. Then start to move toward making it a business.

...or go ahead and give the business end a shot. I'm old and cautious, and never made big gambles. If everybody listened to me, the world would be a much more boring place, most likely. Just realize that offering to do something for money does not make you a professional, and taking other people's money raises the stakes of what you're doing very sharply.

 

I hate to discourage anyone who's ambitious but it would seem to me this is such a beaten path at this point that why would you even want to wade into it? Aside from the legal issues, many people opt to shoot their own photos rather than pay someone else. Those that are left who are willing to send their coins to a stranger AND pay for it, are the business that everyone's trying to keep dividing up. Which can't be that many people.
I'm happy with my own photos using a copy stand a T3i,some custom lenses on a bellows and a remote shutter. It took some time but they turn out pretty good. Professional quality? Who knows. Some might say yes, some would say no. Some are way better than others.

I'd offer my services to a friend but I would not want to make a business out of trying to please someone with photos. Just don't love it to that level and I agree that people can be extremely hard to satisfy. If they aren't flat out looking to sue you to begin with. Coin photography is like another hobby in itself that many will eventually pursue on their own. I think your chasing a small segment of people that grows smaller all the time. But good luck.

 

Early in my coin photography efforts (after years of practice) I took my system to coin club meetings and shot member coins for free. I expected to be very busy, but VERY few folks took advantage. Many folks were doing their own photography, and seemed a bit offended I was there! The only folks who showed any interest were a couple of dealers with big volumes who were interested in having a local photo resource for their slabbed coins, but nothing really came from those guys either. Coin photography is a tough business, even giving it away for free!

 

You nailed it on the head!! I used to make a living in youth sports photography. That market eroded away as more and more people went out and bought a camera and suddenly they can do it to. The assumption is that it's all in the tools and it can't be that hard. While tools are an essential part of the equation, the MOST important part is the skill in using those tools. Skill is not something that can be bought, it has to be earned.

Those parents that bought those cameras are probably getting ok images. What they are missing is good composition, proper timing, the ability to know which lens to use when and why, what aperture to be shooting at and so on... While they were probably satisfied with their results, you could tell the difference between their images and someone who had been doing it for years.

When I started shooting coins, it was simply for me. I did not consider trying to make it a business. I have been a photographer for over 15 years. I had an interest in coins when I was a child, then it kind of faded away into the background until around 5 years ago. My passion for coins exploded and I wanted to share my coins on these and other forums. The only way to do that is to show photo's. I was then able to incorporate 10 years of photographic experience and turn it towards a subject I had never had experience shooting. It took me a while to start getting the results I was proud of. The first 80-90% of getting good results is the easiest. it's that last 10-20% that takes years to perfect, but it really is the most important part to attain, if you want to stand out.

When I first started shooting coins, I saw @robec's work on here. His quality of work is what I had wanted to achieve and it became my standard to try and reach and still do. I am blown away by his results, especially with his Lincoln Cent's. It's important to have a benchmark to set your goals to. Don't be afraid of the work it will take to get there, but you will need patience to make it.

Enjoy the journey. If at the end you find that you still enjoy it, then it might be a business to shoot for. But, you have to enjoy it, it's a very tough and small field to get into, especially if you charge for it. I don't know of any photographers that make a living at it. I find it a great way to make extra money to buy coins to add to my personal collection. It's a huge help when I go to buy coins with the intent to sell on eBay. I still enjoy it and will for quite some time.

 

Moose rule

 

The only coins I got are nickel and dime junk (no pun intended). What's your going rate for VF struck through, die break, and cud? lol